Author: Hithaishi CB

Speciality Food & Drinks Asia (SFDA) and Speciality Coffee & Tea Asia (SCTA), Singapore’s most-anticipated trade event for the gelato, pastry, bakery, coffee, tea, pizza, chocolate, foodservice and nightlife sectors, SIGEP Asia, returns to Sands Expo & Convention Centre from 16 to 18 July 2025. Spanning three halls across 10,000sqm, this event is co-located with Restaurant Asia, Speciality Food & Drinks Asia (SFDA) and Speciality Coffee & Tea Asia (SCTA), and will bring together F&B owners, distributors, artisans, chefs, restaurateurs and innovators from across Southeast Asia and beyond for curated experiences and strategic networking opportunities. Organised by IEG Asia, SIGEP Asia and its co-located events SFDA, SCTA and Restaurant Asia are…

Agrifood systems employ almost 40 percent of the global work force, making this year’s Investment Days theme of “Investing for more and better agrifood jobs” Boosting investments in agrifood systems is a powerful lever to improve lives and can address the “alarming gap” of employment opportunities facing the 1.2 billion young people expected to enter the job market in the next decade, QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said in remarks opening FAO Investment Days 2025. FAO’s Investment Centre noting its evolution over 60 years, together with partners, to introduce innovative approaches,…

University of Bristol, spin-out CDotBio wins prestigious Armourers & Brasiers Venture Prize A pioneering carbon nanodot technology, originally developed for healthcare, is now poised to transform global agriculture through the development of next-generation, RNA-based biopesticides. Developed by CDotBio, a biotechnology spin-out from the University of Bristol, UK, this breakthrough promises to reduce reliance on traditional chemical pesticides and significantly lower the environmental impact of crop protection. CDotBio has been awarded the £25,000 Armourers & Brasiers Venture Prize, which recognises excellence in materials science innovation with high commercial potential. Carbon nanodots are ultra-small, biodegradable particles that enable precise, species-specific targeting in plants. Traditionally…

QIRA is derived from annually renewable crops and serves as an impactful alternative to a fossil-derived equivalent Qore, a joint venture of Minnesota-based Cargill and Germany-based HELM, is officially starting production of QIRA®, the world’s first large-scale 1,4-butanediol (BDO) made from locally grown dent corn. QIRA is derived from annually renewable crops and serves as an impactful alternative to a fossil-derived equivalent used in the manufacture of consumer goods. A grand opening event, scheduled for July 22, 2025, will celebrate the completion of the $300-million facility and the official start of QIRA production. The event will include elected officials, Iowa farmers,…

Indonesian industry leaders from strategic sectors such as energy, and agriculture engaged in productive discussions with their U.S. counterparts The Indonesian government, in collaboration with the private sector, is advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Indonesia and the United States, focusing on robust, balanced, and fair trade and investment ties. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the United States, including efforts to reach a trade tariff agreement. “The economic relationship between Indonesia and the US has always been strong and must be maintained. One way to further strengthen this relationship is through…

Strengthens Singapore’s specialty chemicals landscape by producing bio-circular material driving sustainable solutions to bioeconomy space Arkema, the world’s largest integrated factory dedicated to advanced bio-circular materials, located on Jurong Island, Singapore announced the addition of another unit site, alongside its plant celebration event. With the addition of the Singapore plant, global production capacity for PA-11 has increased by 50%. The Group is the world’s only producer of Rilsan® PA-11 and Oleris® Advanced Oleochemicals, both made entirely from castor beans. The transparent polyamide is used in eyewear, electronics, healthcare devices, and home appliances. To meet the growing demand across Asia Pacific, Arkema announces it will…

CEPI is the world’s largest funder of Nipah virus research, committing over US$100 million to its Nipah vaccine and biologics programmes and related enabling science projects. Human trials are underway for a vaccine against Nipah, one of the world’s most deadly viruses. These trials are being conducted in Bangladesh, where outbreaks of Nipah disease now cause the deaths of almost 6,000 people annually. The vaccine (PHV02), developed by the U.S.-based biotech company Public Health Vaccines (PHV), will be among the first Nipah vaccine candidates to reach this stage of human testing when it launches in early 2026. Public Health Vaccines…

Launch “Robotics for Good – Youth Challenge 2025-2026” to tackle global food insecurity At the opening of the AI for Good Summit (8-11 July) in Geneva today, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) officially launched the Robotics for Good – Youth Challenge 2025–26, a global initiative aimed at empowering youth to drive innovation in agrifood systems. The second edition of this initiative invites young people aged 12 to 18 from around the world to design and build robots that help address one of humanity’s most pressing challenges – food insecurity. “This…

In-hive and in-field precision pollination solutions support local beekeepers and growers with data-backed solutions for increased commercial pollination which in turn boosts Horticulture and Apiculture industry BeeHero, a leading provider of precision pollination services, has launched its services for Australian growers for the third consecutive year, introducing pre-pollination reports for the first time.Currently, BeeHero is the world’s largest pollination provider, working with a significant portion of Australian macadamia, canola, almond, avocado, kiwifruit, and berry growers, continuing to provide data-driven solutions for improving commercial pollination visibility and efficiency for local beekeepers and growers.   Contributing between $4-6 billion annually to the Australian economy,…

Ceres expands Bartlett’s operations footprint and grain merchandising capabilities, adding 45 million bushels of grain and oilseed storage capacity in 13 locations Bartlett, a Savage company, has successfully completed its acquisition of Ceres Global Ag Corp., a Minnesota-based agricultural, energy and industrial products supply chain company with operations across the U.S. Northern Plains and Canada. Bartlett has received all necessary court, shareholder, and regulatory approvals for the take-private transaction, which was announced in May this year. With the addition of Ceres, Bartlett expands its operational footprint and grain merchandising capabilities, adding approximately 45 million bushels of total grain and oilseed storage…